Check-indorsing machine



Jan. 9, 1923. 1,441,634.

I I H. A. BITTER. CHECK 'ENDORSING MACHINE. I

FILED SEPT. 10, 1920. 2 SHEETSSHEET 1.

Jan. 9, 1923. 1,441,634.

H. A. BITTER. CHECK ENDORSING MACHINE.

FILED SEPT. 10, 1920. 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

INVENTQR.

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HARRY A. OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

CHECK-INDORSING MACHINE.

Application filed $eptember 10, 1920.

To all who 1m it may concern:

Be it known that I, Haney A. BITTER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chlcago, in the county of Cool: and State of.

Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Check-lndorsing Machines, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to an apparatus for indorsing or stamping checks or similar instruments and its novelty consists in the construction and arrangement of parts as will be more fully hereinafter described.

The appziiratus of my invention is especially useful in banks, mercantile houses, and the like for cancelling, marking, and indorsing checks, stamps, and like articles. Especially is it useful where large quantities of these various articles have to be marked.

An object of my invention is to provide an apparatus which is simple, practical, accessible, and one which will accomplish its purposes in an expeditious manner.

Another object of the invention is to provide an apparatus of the character herein described where it is desirable to change certain marking data from time to time invention being directed to simple and quickly changed means therefor.

A further object is to provide a machine wherein the various articles to be marked may be passed through the machine 1n chanically.

A still further object is to provide an apparatus for marking or *ancelling checks in an efficient, simple, and expeditious manner.

The above recited and other objects of my invention will be apparent from the following description and will be particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

The preferred embodiment of my invcntion is shown in the accompanying drawings wlierei.n

Figure. l. a side eh ation of the preferred embodiment of my invention a'ith some of the parts broken away to show some of the details.

Figure 2 is front elevation view with parts of'frame in front of and above rollers brokenaway. l

Figure 8 is a vertical, sectional view through the dater or the stamp roll.

Figured is" a perspective view of the dater'or stamp roll; and,

Figure 5 isa detailviewpartiallyinsec- Serial No. 409,355.

tion of a portion of the machine showing a latching mechanism. The machine as shown in the drawings ineludes a main frame having uprights 1 and aside plate 1?. A hooded member 2 is suitably secured to the frame and overlies certain of the mechanisms of the machine; 3' is a motor support suitably fastened to the base of the frame on which is mounted a. motorbase 2, carrying an electric motor 5, the shaft of which supports a pulley 6. Suitably journaled in the side plate 1 (Figure 2) is ashort shaft 9 carrying at its outer end enlarge grooved pulley 8, and on its inner end a smaller pulley 10. which. latter pulleyis also grooved. A belt 7 transmits power from the motor pulley 6 to the large pulley 8.

. Suitably supported in the upper portionof the frame is shaft 13, on which is mount ed a roller 12, which roller may be made of any suitable material such as wood, metal, hard rubber, or fiber, and which roller has a series of grooves formed in the periphery thereof. Abelt 11 passing over pulley. 10 drives the roller 12. The frame is provided with slotted blocks 19, one on each side of the frame carrying a shaft 17. Springs 9.0 are interposed in the slotted members and tensioning devices 21 may be regulated to vary the tension of the springs against the shaft 17. A similar Set of slotted members adjacent the first set but placed below the first set carry blocks22, springs 23, and tensioning members 24, all of which function to support a shaft 18. On the shaft 17 is mounted a roller 15, while shaft 18 supports a roller 16. About the roller 15 and roller 12 pass belts 14: carried in grooves 15 which belts are preferably of some suitable friction material. The roller 16 has at one end a series of grooves 16 formed therein. These grooves underlie similar grooves in the roller 15. The belts 14 pass around roller 19. and roller 16 with one leg of said belts contacting roller With the above construction it will be noted that rollers 15 and 16 are driven by belts 14: and let from roller 12, so thatany motion imparted to roller 12 will be transmittedto the rollers 15 and 16, and by reasonof belts '14 the speed of rollers 15 and 16 will be the same. The hooded member '2 is supported onthe frame at one end thereof and extends above the frame. Suitably: -joliif'nalediii th 'si-d" walls of the member 2 is a shaft25 carrying a roller 25, which roller is positioned to be frictionally driven from roller 15. intermediate the end walls of the member 2 is a downwardly extending wall 62. Referring to Figure 3, it will be observed that mounted in the wall 62 is a spindle .53, on which is positioned a freely rotatable roller 50 having grooves 50 and 67 therein. W ithin the spindle 53 is a shaft 51, one end of which extends beyond the outer end of spindle 53 carrying a disk 52, and the other end of the shaft being enlarged and provided with a slot 66.

The stamp roller or dater includes a pair of disks 27 and 27" (Figure 4) which are held in'spaced parallel relation by bars 38 and 39. The bar 38 serves as a mounting towhich is hinged or otherwise suitably secured a plate 37 arranged in such manner that said plate may swing about bar 38 as an axis. The other edge of the plate is pro vided with spring clips 60, which when the plate is moved into printing position, spring or snap over the bar 39 to hold the plate 37 in operative position. On the outside of the plate 37 is a pad 37 on which may be applied a certain portion of the matter to be printed by the machine. The plate and the pad have a slot 61 therethrough for the purpose of permitting the matter which is selectively set up as hereinafter described, to project through the slot and to form a part of the matter to be printed. A shaft 35 is keyed or otherwise secured to the disk 27 while the other end of the shaft is connected by means of the pin with a sleeve or bushing 54, which bushing carries the disk 27. The outer end of the bushing 54 is provided with a recess 6%, while the end of the shaft 35, which extends beyond disk 27 is flattened to interfit with the slot 66 in the shaft 51, so as to rotate therewith under certain conditions. A hollow mem ber 4:7 is threaded into an'opening in the wall of the member 2. A cap 48 is threaded onto the end of the member 47,-

while a plunger 57 is mounted within the member 4;? to have lengthwise movement therethrough. A spring 58 cooperates between the cap 48 and the body of the plunger 57 to maintain. the plunger inwardly of the wall 65, as viewed in Figure 3. The plunger is provided with a head 56 whereby to withdraw the same. The other end of the plunger has a reduced portion 56 adapted to cooperate with the recess 64- in the bushing5 l, and thereby maintain the shaft 35 and its associate parts in operative relation as shown in Figure 3 of the drawings.

A frame 35*" is splined on shaft 35 as shown in Figure 3, and is held in position thereon by screws or other elements 40 passing through the shaft. The frame 35 carries a plurality of printing bands which carry outstanding projections 36, 36, 36", 36 and'36 Said bands are slidable circumferentiallyon the frame 35. The. outer ends of the several projections bear'numerals, letters, or other characters which may be useful in being arranged in selected combinations so as to print dates or the like in conjunction with the matter on pad 37.

The members 36 may be inscribed with the names of the months, 3 6 with the years, 36 with numbers. If it is desired to employ other members to fix other marks, such as A. M. r P. M. or other specific marks, such may be carried on members 36 and 36 so that when once arranged in the selected order, the order will be maintained as long as desirable. To change a date, the stamp roller or dater as shown in Figure 4. may be taken from the apparatus by pulling out the plunger 57 which freesone end of the shaft, so that the whole dater may be removed. The cover 37 is opened and the various members 36 manipulated to give the desired date or other marking required. W hen this has been set up, the cover is closed, so thatv the selected data is'on the projections of members 36which extend through the slot 61 in the cover 37, whereupon the dater may be returned to operative position, which is that shown in the Figure 3. v

Belts 26 pass around rollers 25' and50 in the grooves 50' so that any motion imparted LO- roller 25 will be transmitted to roller 50. In the periphery of the disks 27 and 27 are inserted frictional members or tires 28, which however do not extend completely around the edges of thedisks. Under certain conditions these tires have frictional engagement with the roller 16.

Referring to Figures 3 and 5, it is to be noted that the disk 52 carries an outwardly extending stop 34. Extending between the partition walls 62 and 65 of the member 2 is a shaft 30 carrying inwardly of the wall 62 a depending trip linger 29, which extends downwardly between belts 14 and 26, the grooves 67 in roller 50 and 68 in the roller 25 permitting swinging of the finger. Outwardly of the wall 62 is an arm 31 keyed to the shaft arranged-in angular relation with respect to the finger 29. The free end of the arm 31 has a hook which normally engagesthe stop on the disk 52. The arm 31 carries a lug 32 through which passes one end of a coil spring '33, the other l it) end. of the spring being fastened to they.

stop 34:.

A11 inking roller is carried on a shaft 42 sup-ported in suitable hearings in member 2. contact with the dater or stamp roller by means of springs 44 and tensioning devices The inking roller ll is maintained in The motor bein set in motion through the operation of a suitable switch, the roller 12 is rotated. This causes rotation through the belts 1st and 14 of the rollers 15 and 16. Roller 25 is rotated through frictional engagement with roller 15, and rotation. of roller 25 through belts 26 imparts rotation to the roller 50. The pile of checks or other matter to be stamped may be placed on the table 46 and deposited one by one on the belts l4: and 1 k. Thereupon, these belts acting as apron conveyors carry the checks through the machine between the rollers 15 and 25 and 16 and the dating roller. As soon as a check engages the trip finger 29, this is swung in a counter clockwise direction (Figure 5) a suflicient distance to permit the check to pass thereunder. The movement of the trip finger 29 raises the arm 31 and its hooked end out of engagement with the stop 34. Thereupon the stamp or dater roller rotates by gravity because of its overbalanced position by reason of the cover 37 and the pad 37, until such time that the tires 28 contact the roller 16, which contacting is timed with the movement of the check so that the matter to be printed on the check will be printed in the correct position thereon, the pad 37 and its associated members 36 making the impression thereon on the check as the same is carried along between the belts 26 and 14. Continued association with rollers 16 feeds the check outwardly of the machine into the receiving basket 49. The rotation of the stamp roller continues until the hooked end of the arm 31 again engages the stop 34: on the disk 52. Whereupon the stamp roller is brought to rest. In this position the mutilated portion of the tires are out of contact with the roller 16. The spring 33 acts to draw the arm 31 into position to engage the stop 3st, which movement also returns the trip finger 29 to bring the same into the path of movement of the checks to be acted on by the next check passing through the machine. The inking roller 41 inksthe pad 37 after the same has made an impression on. the check and prior to the time that the roller is released to Print the next check.

It may be observed that my invention contemplates a machine for cancelling checks and the like wherein the checks are carried through the machine mechanically, doing away with the feeding of the individual checks into the printing mechanism. The dater is one which is readily removed, changed, and replaced, thus facilitating the cancelling, indorsing. or other marking of the checks. By reason. of the fact that the checks are carried through the machine by the belts, the elliciency ofthe machine is greatly increased over the present type of cancelling machines. A further advantage of my machine resides in the ease in which the date may be changed.

lVhile T have described more or less precisely the details of my invention, 1 do not wish to be understood as limiting myself thereto, as I contemplate changes in form, the proportion of parts and the substitution of equivalents as circumstances may suggest, or render expedient, without departing from the spirit of my invention.

I claim:

1. In an indorsing machine, an endless conveyor comprising a plurality of bands, roller means for driving said hands, a pair of rollers driven by said bands, certain of said bands being placed to engage with said roller means and one of said rollers and certain. of said bands being placed to engage with said roller means and both of said rollers and other endless conveyor means and stamping means driven from said rollers.

2. In an indorsing machine, an endless conveyor, roller means for carrying same, a second endless conveyor driven synchronously with said first conveyor, roller means for carrying said second conveyor, a shaft upon which one of said last mentioned roller means is freely rotatable, said shaft having trip mechanism cooperating therewith for causing rotation of said shaft in response to movement of a member carried by one of said conveyors and a rotary printing ele ment operated by said shaft.

In an indorsing machine, an endless conveyor, roller means for carrying same, a second endless conveyor driven synchronously with said first conveyor, roller means for carrying said second conveyor, a shaft upon which one of said last mentioned roller means is freely rotatable, said shaft having trip mechanism cooperating there with for causing rotation of said shaft in response to movement of a member carried by one of said conveyors and a rotary printing element operated by said shaft, said printing element being a drum spring pressed into locking engagement with one end of said shaft whereby to be readily romovable and replaceable.

Signed at Chicago, Illinois, this 4th day of September, 1920.

HARRY A. BITTER, 

